Betrayal
'''Betrayal is a fanfiction written by Animal Crossing Leader on fanfiction.net. Betrayal follows Violet, and a group of others, who wake up in a strange maze and the task of finding the centre. The story was inspired by ''The Maze Runner'' book series written by James Dashner. Chapters *'Release:' June 16, 2013 *'# of Words:' 601 She looked up, the plain white walls reflecting the light at every angle. She was laying on the ground, face up, her black hair whipped across her face. Looking down, she saw that she was wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. The shirt had a red emblem on the chest-a small crest with an 'M' inside it. Slowly, the girl stood up, trembling as she did, leaning onto the wall for extra support. As she did, a voice boomed from, what was most likely, a PA system. "Hello Violet. How nice of you to join me." the voice boomed, and Violet glared up at the wall in front of her-where she envisioned the voice to be coming from. Violet finally gained balance and stood up. "Where am I?" she demanded, stomping her foot. She made a fist with her right hand, forcing it so hard that her knuckles became white. "Let me as you a question," the man boomed. His voice was soft, with a hint of deceit or hatred. "Who am I?" Violet froze. She couldn't remember. Not him, not anyone. His voice sounded familiar, and she hated it, for some reason, but couldn't remember why. "I-I-I...?" she slid down the wall, putting her hand on her forehead. "Once you figure that out, you'll know exactly where I am." As the PA flickered off, the man's dangerous laughter could be heard, and a door opened. When she looked around, it was invisible, camouflaged into the wall, but now, bright lights flooded the room. Slowly, she got up and walked to the door, her head pounding with every step. The closer she got to the exit, the louder an annoying beeping got-the origin unknown. She put a hand up to her face to block out some light, but it didn't help, as the light appeared to get brighter. Violet picked up pace, starting from a slow walk to a jog. She ran through the door, the light completely blinding her as she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes, the room much darker than the light. Around her were large stone walls, grey and cracked. They loomed over her, the blank white ceiling shining above. "Hello?" she asked, the words bouncing off the walls. The man's voice cracked to life again, this time echoing off the wall. "Okay test subject," he boomed in a manipulative way, "find your way to the centre of the maze. There you will find what you need." His voice crackled off, as the PA died. Test subject? Violet thought, angry. Test Subject!? Violet punched the wall, and grabbed her hand-which was in pain. A tear left her eye. "Test subject." she scoffed, walking down the passageway. She walked with her hand against the wall. The room was dark, almost foggy. Her hand touched a ridge in the wall, and she stopped. The rest of the walls were smooth, though cracks covered some, but this ridge was a smooth indentation. She looked at it, and immediately recognized it, although she didn't know how. It was an eye with a spike going through it vertically. It meant something. Something important, but she didn't know what. Beside it was another symbol-a flame with a tear in the centre. Then another symbol, and more. Violet kept walking, feeling each indent with her hand and knowing that she'd seen all the symbols before. Somewhere. A cloud with a heart. A baseball with a screw. A circle with an arrow going through it. All disturbing in one way, and all with a meaning. A meaning that Violet knew... ...in one life. *'Release:' June 18, 2013 *'# of Words:' 592 The eerie silence started to get to her-the loud echo of her feet hitting the cement flooring and the soft hum of the electrical lights above being the only audible noises. The familiar runes on the walls as her fingers rolled over them-again, and again. The fog-like light covering the room, and the maze of rocks around her. "I don't get it." she finally said, her words bouncing right back to her. Violet's hair covered most of her face. She had originally continued fixing it, but it kept bouncing back, so she eventually started to ignore it. Sweat beaded down her forehead and face, clouding her vision. "I've walked this same route, but there's no way to the centre." She turned around, and a dark corridor had more runes on the wall. She shrugged and was quickly shrouded by darkness, walking blindly into what might turn out to be a trap. A footstep echoed off the walls. Violet stopped. She had been walking for many more hours-too many to count-without finding any path to the centre. She had been hearing sounds as she walked-mysterious mumbling, pounding and the thump of pebbles bouncing off the rocky floor. She turned around. "Who's there?" she said, courageously holding her ground. She formed a fist in her right hand, and held it up to the front of her face. Another footstep echoed off the walls-this one closer. Someone else was in this maze, Violet thought. And they're either in the same situation as me... or not. She held her other fist up, bringing both to the sides of her head, and pointed her elbows inward, toward her face. "Don't come any further." she said, fear in her final word. The footsteps quickened, and the echoes became louder. Please be only one person. she thought, her breathing quickening with every passing second. Her heart was pounding like a bass drum, feeling like thunder through her veins. Adrenaline and fear replaced her blood as she got into a fighting stance. "I'm warning you." She took a step back, as a foot emerged from the dark fog in front of her. "Who are you?" the man said, his voice high like a child's. He had combed blond hair and an innocent childish face. "Wait... where am I?" Violet put her hands down. "I'm Violet, and I've been through probably the same as you." She kept an eye on him at all times. Like her, he was wearing the same clothing as her, so she knew he had been through the same events. "Waking up in a bright white room with no memory, and then forced into this maze?" he said, and Violet nodded. The boy stuck out a hand. "Buddy." he said, smiling. "Nice to meet you Vi." Violet smiled, as she grabbed the boy's hand and shook it. "You see anyone else on your travels?" she asked, now curious about the number of people who may be walking around the surrounding corridors. Buddy frowned and shook his head. "I thought I was alone. I was about to go nuts!" Although she did not reply, Violet had been feeling the same way. The incredible silence slowly eating away at her sanity like a mouse eating cheese. "So, should we start moving? We are supposed to get to the centre, after all." Buddy nodded and smiled, with a persistent expression on his face, and for the first time she could remember, Violet was happy. Violet stuck out her hand, and touched a rune. "Let's go this way." she said, smiling. *'Release:' June 24, 2013 *'# of Words:' 645 A drop of water hit the ground, echoing a thousand times off every wall and ceiling in the maze. At some point, Violet and Buddy's world became black, as the bright ceiling transformed into a damp cave. Torches illuminated small portions of the cave, lighting up a path. As the two people walked, their feet growing ever tired, the temperature cooled and their footsteps echoing louder with every step. "So," Buddy started, breaking the long silence that quickly settled in. "Where do you think this goes?" Violet held up her hand, and Buddy almost instantaneously stopped, bumping into Violet's back as he did. As she regained balance, she turned her head and glared at Buddy through the darkness. As Buddy muttered "sorry", Violet focused her attention onto a sound. At first, Buddy didn't hear it, but quickly silenced as the noise level increased. "What is that?" he whispered, so quietly there was no echo. Violet quickly turned her head. "Footsteps!" The pitter-patter of the footsteps' echoing quickened. From a walk to a quick sprint, the origin was running toward them, likely to attack them. Violet jumped to the left, as Buddy stood, paralysed with fear, in the centre of the cave-the torchlight illuminating half of Buddy's face. "Quick!" Violet whispered, although loudly, as if she was trying to scream her whisper. "Hide!" A silhouette appeared in the centre of the cave. Quickly, the silhouette turned around and made a gesture. Following that, two more shadows filled the length of the cave, stepping into the torchlight. Like Buddy and Violet-the prior still frozen with shock-the three people in the cave were wearing the same white t-shirt and black jeans. "Hands up!" The first one yelled, his voice high but booming. He had black hair, spiked up into a flame-like shape. He had steel blue eyes and a wide smile. "We don't want to hurt you," he frowned and lowered his eyes. "We just want answers." Violet jumped up. "Yeah, so do we! We're obviously in the same circumstances." She put her hands on her hips, and frowned. Sensing her anger, the second person stepped forward. She was a girl with wild red hair and purple eyeliner. She had red makeup below her eyes and starts painted onto each of her cheeks. Her eyes were big and ocean blue, though her anger gave them a purple-ish tint. Her arms were crossed, and she gave off an angry vibe. "I'm Annie." she said, nodding. "Woke up in a bright room with no recollection of anything." gazing up as she spoke, she focused her gaze back on the cross Violet and scared Buddy. "Like you two, I presume." Violet nodded, her expression becoming sceptical of the situation. "Violet." almost forgetting about her companion, she gestured toward him. "This is Buddy." As the words escaped her mouth, Buddy snapped out of his trance, and nodded. The third person stepped out of the shadows. The third person finally spoke up. "I'm Travis." he said, enthusiastically holding out his hand. Travis had small, spiked blonde hair and big black eyes. Like the other boy, he had a permanent smile on his face. The first person stepped forward, his black flame-like hair glistening with the torchlight. "I'm Jimmy." Annie walked ahead of Violet and Buddy. "I'm guessing we have the same destination?" she asked, as she passed Buddy, flashing him a smile as she did. Buddy put a hand up to his forehead, feeling the sweat that had started to gather. "The centre?" As the group of five people walked through the cave, no one managed to see the other person creeping behind a stalagmite. It was a girl with short, spiked hair and green eyes that appeared to glow in the darkness. As she watched the five become engulfed by darkness, she stood up and crept towards them. "So, I'm not alone." *'Release:' June 28, 2013 *'# of Words:' 680 Annie jumped around a corner. Behind her walked Jimmy and Travis, who mimicked her every movement. Behind them, Violet and Buddy-unimpressed by Annie's stealth skills-casually followed. After walking for hours, Buddy's feet burned with an intense pain, which grew with every step. "Ugh," he mumbled after hours of silence. "This is hopeless." Ignoring Buddy, Violet continued to follow the runes on the wall. Turning the corner to follow Annie, her footsteps booming like thunder, she frowned. "I'm beginning to think that you're right." Up ahead, Annie, Jimmy and Travis stopped. "We've got company." Jimmy whispered, under his breath. Careening her neck around them, Violet saw a girl standing in the middle of the hallway. The girl had spiked gold hair and green eyes that appeared to glow in the dark. She wore the same clothes as the others, but her's were torn and dirty. Scratches covered her face, and blood stained her shirt. "You may not want to go this way." she said, jabbing a thumb at the dark hallway behind her. Annie put her hands on her hips. "Why? We need to get to the centre." she said, a gruff anger in her voice. A cold glare froze the golden-haired girl in her tracks. Gesturing at her clothing, she smirked. Then, turning her head to the wall, she pointed to some words. "This is why you don't go this way. Unfortunately, I didn't understand what it meant." Violet looked at the carvings on the wall. Like before, it was covered with runes, but these ones resembled Latin letters, unlike the others, which resembled pictures. The girl started to fumble with her clothes, grimacing all the while. "There's some creature there," she said, grimacing at the memories. "That's what did this to me." Suddenly understanding the text, Violet stood back. "It is pitch black." she read, shaky. "You are likely to be eaten by a grue." When everyone was taken aback by her quick translation, Travis pointed out the obvious question. "What is a grue?" As the words escaped his mouth, the carvings on the wall shifted, and new phrases emerged. "The grue is a sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth." Violet started, again. "Its favourite diet is adventurers, but its insatiable appetite is tempered by its fear of light. No grue has ever been seen by the light of day, and few have survived its fearsome jaws to tell the tale." Violet stepped back, and put a hand up to her chin. "Why does this seem so familiar?" Buddy's eyes widened, as he turned to look down the hallway, his arms were glued to his side. "Something moved." he mumbled, and the golden-haired girl turned around. "Is that the grue?" Annie punched the air, as an excited expression crossed her face. "Buddy, Violet and Jimmy. You three go on the left side." she smiled. "Me, Travis and..." "Candy." the girl finished. "Me, Travis and Candy will go right." After a break, Violet, Buddy and Jimmy followed the left side of the wall into the darkness. Echoing off the corridor, the three heard Candy yell out. "You're nuts! It'll kill us all!" Jimmy frowned. His face was pale white, and his body trembled "Is this a good idea?" At first, Buddy and Violet both shrugged, but after a few more steps, Buddy spoke up. "This is the worst idea ever." Jimmy smiled, as he listened to Buddy's words. "Well, if we die, you can blame Annie." They all took a step forward, and were quickly engulfed by darkness, the only thing to guide them was the wall on their left. The runes covering the entire wall. As they walked, the words echoed through Violet's mind, driving her insane. The grue is a sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. ...It's insatiable appetite is tempered by it's fear of light. ---- ''Zork and the grue were created and are owned by Infocom and Activision.''